Behavioral Studies Research Articles

Motor imagery from brain to muscle: a commentary on Bach et al., (2022).

In a recent article entitled "Why motor imagery is not really motoric: towards a re-conceptualization in terms of effect-based action control", Bach et al. nicely renewed the concept of motor equivalence between actual movement and motor imagery (MI), i.e. the mental simulation of an action without its corresponding motor output. Their approach is largely based on behavioral studies and, to a lesser extent, on the literature using cerebral imagery. However, the literature on cortico-spinal circuitry modulation during MI can provide further, interesting aspects. Indeed, when it comes to addressing the motor system, one should consider the whole path from brain region to muscle contraction, including sub-cortical structures such as the spinal circuitry. This commentary aims at bridging this gap by providing supplemental evidence and outlining a complementary approach.

Can large language models help predict results from a complex behavioural science study?

We tested whether large language models (LLMs) can help predict results from a complex behavioural science experiment. In study 1, we investigated the performance of the widely used LLMs GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 in forecasting the empirical findings of a large-scale experimental study of emotions, gender, and social perceptions. We found that GPT-4, but not GPT-3.5, matched the performance of a cohort of 119 human experts, with correlations of 0.89 (GPT-4), 0.07 (GPT-3.5) and 0.87 (human experts) between aggregated forecasts and realized effect sizes. In study 2, providing participants from a university subject pool the opportunity to query a GPT-4 powered chatbot significantly increased the accuracy of their forecasts. Results indicate promise for artificial intelligence (AI) to help anticipate-at scale and minimal cost-which claims about human behaviour will find empirical support and which ones will not. Our discussion focuses on avenues for human-AI collaboration in science.

Divine noni's protective impact on Swiss albino mice's short-term memory impairment caused by cyclophosphamide: A behavioral and biochemical approach

Cyclophosphamide (CYL) is a first-line cancer chemotherapeutic agent widely used for the treatment of cancer that has severe toxic effects. The primary mechanism by which CYL induces toxicity through free radical generation. Morinda citrifolia (Noni) fruit juice is an herbal remedy documented to have antioxidant properties. The aim of the current study was to investigate the protective effect of noni against CYL-induced memory impairment in Swiss albino mice. Treatment schedule: Group 1: Normal: Received vehicle; Group 2: CYL treatment: Received CYL (40.0 mg/kg b.w. i.p.) on day one; Group 3: NJ treatment: Received NJ (360 mg/b.w. p.o.) once daily for 14 days. Group 4: DNG treatment: DNG (360 mg/b.w. p.o.) once daily for 14 days, Group 5: NJ + CYL treatment: Received CYL (40.0 mg/kg b.w. i.p.) on day one and after half an hour of received NJ (360 mg/b.w. p.o.) once daily for 14 days. Group 6: DNG + CYL treatment: Received CYL (40.0 mg/kg b.w. i.p.) on day one and after half an hour received DNG (360 mg/b.w. p.o.) once daily for 14 days. Mice were subjected to the Morris water maze (MWM) challenge for two weeks as part of a behavioral study. Short-term memory impairment was observed in the behavioral activity of CYL-treated mice in the MWM test in the 1st week trial, and this effect was reversed in the 2nd week trial in the combination treatment group. The behavioral analysis proved that noni supplementation reduced the risk of memory impairment caused by CYL. Biochemical analysis revealed that CYL markedly increased the levels of AChE and MDA in brain tissue. Similarly, decreases in the levels of antioxidants, i.e., GSH, CAT, SOD and GST, were detected in the brain tissue of the mice exposed to CYL. Qualitative and quantitative examinations of histopathological examination of the mouse hippocampus supported the above findings. The results demonstrated that noni supplement therapy reversed the changes in the MDA, AChE, and antioxidant enzyme levels while improving the behavioral and histological alterations caused by CYL. Long-term hippocampal growth and memory are unaffected, suggesting that CYL is less harmful. According to our research, supplementing with noni in conjunction with CYL may be a helpful treatment strategy for treating memory impairment caused by CYL.

Early-Life Exposure to 4-Hydroxy-4'-Isopropoxydiphenylsulfone Induces Behavioral Deficits Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Mice.

Exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) during gestation and lactation is considered to be a potential risk factor for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in both humans and animals. As a novel alternative to BPA, 4-hydroxy-4'-isopropoxydiphenylsulfone (BPSIP) is frequently detected in breast milk and placental barrier systems, suggesting potential transmission from the mother to offspring and increased risk of exposure. Gestation and lactation are critical periods for central nervous system development, which are vulnerable to certain environmental pollutants. Herein, we investigated the behavioral impacts and neurobiological effects of early-life exposure to BPSIP (0.02, 0.1, and 0.5 mg/kg body weight/day) in mice offspring. Behavioral studies indicated that BPSIP exposure induced ASD-like behaviors, including elevated anxiety-related behavior and decreased spatial memory, in both male and female pups. A distinct pattern of reduced social novelty was observed only in female offspring, accompanied by significant alterations in antioxidant levels. Transcriptome analysis demonstrated that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were mainly enriched in pathways related to behaviors and neurodevelopment, which were consistent with the observed phenotype. Besides, a decrease in the protein levels of complex IV (COX IV) across all tested populations suggests a profound impact on mitochondrial function, potentially leading to abnormal energy metabolism in individuals with autism. Additionally, changes in synaptic proteins, evidenced by alterations in synapsin 1 (SYN1) and postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD95) levels in the cerebellum and hippocampus, support the notion of synaptic involvement. These findings suggest that BPSIP may induce sex-specific neurotoxic effects that involve oxidative stress, energy generation, and synaptic plasticity.

Understanding the Changes in Brain Activation When Viewing Products with Differences in Attractiveness.

Product design and attractiveness are pivotal factors that determine people's positive reactions when viewing a product and may eventually affect their purchasing choices. Comprehending how people assess product design is crucial. Various studies have explored the link between product attractiveness and consumer behavior, but these were predominantly behavioral studies that offered limited insight into the neural processes underlying perceptions of product attractiveness. Gaining a deeper understanding of these neural mechanisms is valuable, as it enables the formulation of more objective design guidelines based on brain activity, enhancing product appeal and, ultimately, spurring consumer purchases. In our study, we sought to (1) elucidate the neural network engaged when individuals evaluate highly attractive product images, (2) delineate the neural network activated during the evaluation of less attractive product images, and (3) contrast the differences in neural networks between evaluations of highly and less attractive images. We utilized fMRI to investigate the neural activation patterns elicited by viewing product images of varying attractiveness levels. The results indicated distinct neural activations in response to the two types of attractive images. Highly attractive product images elicited activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the occipital pole, whereas less attractive product images stimulated the insula and the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). The findings of this project provide some of the first insights of its kind and valuable insights for future product design, suggesting that incorporating more positive and rewarding elements could enhance product appeal. This research elucidates the neural correlates of people's responses to product attractiveness, revealing that highly attractive designs activate reward-related brain regions, while less attractive designs engage areas associated with emotional processing. These findings offer a neuroscientific basis for further studies on developing design strategies that align with consumers' innate preferences, potentially transforming product design and marketing practices. By leveraging this knowledge, designers can craft products that not only meet functional needs but also resonate more deeply on an esthetic level, thereby enhancing consumer engagement and purchase likelihood.

The effect of visual speech cues on neural tracking of speech in 10-month-old infants.

While infants' sensitivity to visual speech cues and the benefit of these cues have been well-established by behavioural studies, there is little evidence on the effect of visual speech cues on infants' neural processing of continuous auditory speech. In this study, we investigated whether visual speech cues, such as the movements of the lips, jaw, and larynx, facilitate infants' neural speech tracking. Ten-month-old Dutch-learning infants watched videos of a speaker reciting passages in infant-directed speech while electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded. In the videos, either the full face of the speaker was displayed or the speaker's mouth and jaw were masked with a block, obstructing the visual speech cues. To assess neural tracking, speech-brain coherence (SBC) was calculated, focusing particularly on the stress and syllabic rates (1-1.75 and 2.5-3.5Hz respectively in our stimuli). First, overall, SBC was compared to surrogate data, and then, differences in SBC in the two conditions were tested at the frequencies of interest. Our results indicated that infants show significant tracking at both stress and syllabic rates. However, no differences were identified between the two conditions, meaning that infants' neural tracking was not modulated further by the presence of visual speech cues. Furthermore, we demonstrated that infants' neural tracking of low-frequency information is related to their subsequent vocabulary development at 18 months. Overall, this study provides evidence that infants' neural tracking of speech is not necessarily impaired when visual speech cues are not fully visible and that neural tracking may be a potential mechanism in successful language acquisition.

Self-reference and emotional reaction drive aesthetic judgment

Traditional philosophical inquiry, and more recently neuroscientific studies, have investigated the sources of artworks' aesthetic appeal. A substantial effort has been made to isolate the objective features contributing to aesthetic appreciation. While variables such as contrast or symmetry have been shown to robustly impact aesthetic judgment, they only account for a small portion of the intersubjective variability in aesthetic ratings. Recent multiprocess model of aesthetic appreciation could accommodate this finding by proposing that evaluative processes based on self-reference underpin the idiosyncrasy of aesthetic judgment. We tested this hypothesis in two behavioral studies, that were basically conceptual replications of our previous work, in which we took advantage of the self-reference effect on memory. We also tried to disentangle the role of self-reference and emotional reaction to artworks in guiding aesthetic judgments, by comparing an aesthetic judgment encoding condition to a self-reference condition (Study 1), and an emotional evaluation condition (Study 2). We show that artworks encoded in an aesthetic judgment condition exhibit a similar mnesic advantage compared to both the self-reference and the emotional evaluation encoding conditions. Moreover, retrospective emotional judgment correlates with both self-reference and aesthetic judgments ratings. These results suggest that a basic mechanism, appraisal of self-relevance, could ground aesthetic judgments.

A Physiological Marker for Deep Brain Ultrasonic Neuromodulation

ObjectivesTranscranial ultrasound neuromodulation (TUSN) is a noninvasive and spatially specific therapy that promises to deliver treatments tailored to the specific needs of individuals. To fulfill this promise, each treatment must be modified to adequately correct for variation across individual skulls and neural anatomy. This study examines the use of ultrasound-induced voltage potentials (measured with electroencephalography [EEG]) to guide TUSN therapies. Materials and MethodsWe measured EEG responses in two awake nonhuman primates during sonication of 12 targets surrounding two deep brain nuclei, the left and right lateral geniculate nucleus. ResultsWe report reliable ultrasound evoked potentials measured with EEG after the deep brain ultrasonic modulation in nonhuman primates. Robust responses are observed after just ten repetitions of the ultrasonic stimuli. Moreover, these potentials are only evoked for specific deep brain targets. Furthermore, a behavioral study in one subject shows a direct correspondence between the target with maximal EEG response and ultrasound-based modulation of visual choice behavior. Thus, this study provides evidence for the feasibility of EEG-based guidance for ultrasound neuromodulation therapies.

Response to Fishing Decisions and Changes in Fishing Income during Extreme Weather: A Behavioural Economy Study of Small-Scale Coastal Fisher Households

Graphical AbstractHighlight Research1. Decision response of fishermen to fish 2. Changes in fishing income 3. Extreme weather caused by climate change 4. Economic behavior of fishing households. Abstract Extreme weather, attributed to global climate change, has altered the economic behaviour of small-scale fishing households in coastal areas. This study aims to analyse the economic behaviour of fishermen by investigating their fishing decisions using a logistic regression model using the maximum likelihood estimation method and their fishing business income through a normalized profit function. The research employed a quantitative research method with a survey approach conducted in the western coastal region of Barru Regency, Indonesia. The research sample consisted of 209 fishing households. The findings reveal that fishermen fish during extreme weather conditions to meet their household's economic needs, even though their earnings are diminished. Various factors, including the power of the boat engine, fishermen's age and education level, and the potential income from fishing, influence the decision to fish during extreme weather. Additionally, engine fuel prices, education levels, and the number of dependents in the family also impact fishers' income during extreme weather. The most important factor influencing the decision to fish in extreme weather conditions is formal education. Another factor that has the greatest impact on fishermen's income, both in the fishing season and during extreme weather, is the price of engine fuel. Fishermen can adapt to events triggered by extreme weather by implementing specific strategies. For instance, diversifying income by aquaculture production can be an alternative to sea fishing. Diversifying the types of fishing gear to accommodate different weather conditions is equally crucial. Fishing periods and locations can be adjusted to align with prevailing weather conditions. The contribution and significance of this research is to provide insight and understanding of the impact of extreme weather on fishing decisions and changes in the income of capture fishermen. This condition is the economic behaviour of small-scale fishing households in coastal areas when faced with extreme weather events.

An affordable and open-source tool for mouse behavioral studies–pyControl in an undergraduate research setting

An affordable and open-source tool for mouse behavioral studies–pyControl in an undergraduate research setting

Adoptions of unrelated infants in wild Taihangshan macaques (Macaca mulatta tcheliensis), Jiyuan, north China

Abstract Infant-care behavior, a range of caring behaviors by parental or alloparental individuals towards infants unable to live independently, plays a significant role in the survival of infants and the continuation of the species in non-human primates. During a behavioral ecological study of Taihangshan macaques, we observed 2 cases of infant adoptions by unrelated adult females. In case 1, a multiparous female adopted a lost infant from a neighboring group, with the infant being snatched back by her biological mother 35 days after the adoption. This is the first report of cross-group adoption in Macaca. In case 2, a nulliparous adult female, who had been once adopted by her elder sister, adopted an orphan from her group for 36 days. We describe the details of adoptions in Taihangshan macaques and explore possible reasons for adoptions to contribute to understanding the evolution of infant-care behavior and altruistic behavior of adoption in primates.

Progress Decisions Involving Time: Sunk Cost or Completion Effects

ABSTRACTFive studies involving seven samples were conducted to examine the effects of sunk time in progress decisions. Previous research on sunk time in progress decisions has failed to control for completion effects. Studies 1a and 1b found strong evidence for completion effects and weaker effects for sunk time effects on probability of continuing. In Studies 2a and 2b, we expanded our sunk time scenarios to use multiple types. We found evidence for sunk time and completion effects on probability of continuing. An additional analysis, however, found that the sunk time effect was larger when the progress decision involved a goal focused on the accomplishment of a project (e.g., writing a paper for class), as opposed to a goal focused on enjoyment (e.g., watching a television show). Study 3 found that both sunk time and completion effects were present in progress decisions focused on the accomplishment of a project. These effects were present even when participants were informed that there was sufficient time to complete an alternative project. Study 4 failed to find a sunk time effect in a behavioral study, and Study 5 replicated Study 4 using a vignette format. Overall, these results provide some evidence of sunk time effects in progress decisions, but the effect appears to be small and may be due, at least partially, to completion effects.

Skeuomorphic or flat? The effects of icon style on visual search and recognition performance

Although there have been many previous studies on icon visual search and recognition performance, only a few have considered the effects of both the internal and external characteristics of icons. In this behavioral study, we employed a visual search task and a semantic recognition task to explore the effects of icon style, semantic distance (SD), and task difficulty on users’ performance in perceiving and identifying icons. First, we created and filtered 64 new icons, which were divided into four different groups (flat design & close SD, flat design & far SD, skeuomorphic design & close SD, skeuomorphic design & far SD) through expert evaluation. A total of 40 participants (13 men and 27 women, ages ranging from 19 to 25 years, mean age = 21.9 years, SD=1.93) were asked to perform an icon visual search task and an icon recognition task after a round of learning. Participants’ accuracy and response time were measured as a function of the following independent variables: two icon styles (flat or skeuomorphic style), two levels of SD (close or far), and two levels of task difficulty (easy or difficult). The results showed that flat icons had better visual search performance than skeuomorphic icons; this beneficial effect increased as the task difficulty increased. However, in the icon recognition task, participants’ performance in recalling skeuomorphic icons was significantly better than that in recalling flat icons. Furthermore, a strong interaction effect between icon style and task difficulty was observed for response time. As the task difficulty decreased, the difference in recognition performance between these two different icon styles increased significantly. These findings provide valuable guidance for the design of icons in human–computer interaction interfaces.

Integration of Animal Behavioral Assessment and Convolutional Neural Network to Study Wasabi-Alcohol Taste-Smell Interaction.

The commercial wasabi pastes commonly used for food preparation contain a homologous compound of chemosensory isothiocyanates (ITCs) that elicit an irritating sensation upon consumption. The impact of sniffing dietary alcoholic beverages on the sensation of wasabi spiciness has never been studied. While most sensory evaluation studies focus on individual food and beverages separately, there is a lack of research on the olfactory study of sniffing liquor while consuming wasabi. Here, a methodology is developed that combines the use of an animal behavioral study and a convolutional neural network to analyze the facial expressions of mice when they simultaneously sniff liquor and consume wasabi. The results demonstrate that the trained and validated deep learning model recognizes 29% of the images depicting co-treatment of wasabi and alcohol belonging to the class of the wasabi-negative liquor-positive group without the need for prior training materials filtering. Statistical analysis of mouse grimace scale scores obtained from the selected video frame images reveals a significant difference (P < 0.01) between the presence and absence of liquor. This finding suggests that dietary alcoholic beverages might have a diminishing effect on the wasabi-elicited reactions in mice. This combinatory methodology holds potential for individual ITC compound screening and sensory analyses of spirit components in the future. However, further study is required to investigate the underlying mechanism of alcohol-induced suppression of wasabi pungency.

Food contamination with fipronil alters gene expression associated with foraging in Africanized honey bees.

Taking into consideration that bees can be contaminated by pesticides through the ingestion of contaminated floral resources, we can utilize genetic techniques to assess effects that are scarcely observed in behavioral studies. This study aimed to investigate the genetic effects of ingesting lethal and sublethal doses of the insecticide fipronil in foraging honey bees during two periods of acute exposure. Bees were exposed to fipronil through contaminated honey syrup at two dosages (LD50 = 0.19 µg/bee; LD50/100 = 0.0019 µg/bee) and for two durations (1 and 4 h). Following exposure, we measured syrup consumption per bee, analyzed the transcriptome of bee brain tissue, and identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs), categorizing them functionally based on gene ontology (GO). The results revealed a significant genetic response in honey bees after exposure to fipronil, regardless of the dosage used. Fipronil affected various metabolic, transport, and cellular regulation pathways, as well as detoxification processes and xenobiotic substance detection. Additionally, the downregulation of several DEGs belonging to the olfactory-binding protein (OBP) family was observed, suggesting potential physiological alterations in bees that may lead to disoriented behaviors and reduced foraging efficiency.

Preschoolers' deception related to prefrontal cortex activation: An fNIRS study

Deception is an essential part of children's moral development. Previous developmental studies have shown that children start to deceive at the age of 3 years, and as age increased to 5 years, almost all children were able to deceive for their own benefit. Although behavioral studies have indicated that the emergence and development of deception are related to cognitive abilities, their neural correlates remain poorly understood. Therefore, the present study examined the neural correlates underlying deception in preschool-aged children (N = 89, 44 % boys, age 3.13 to 5.96 years, Han Chinese) using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. A modified hide-and-seek paradigm was applied to elicit deceptive and truth-telling behaviors. The results showed that activation of bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was positively associated with the tendency to deceive an opponent in a competitive game in the 3-year-olds. In addition, 3-year-olds who showed a high tendency to deceive showed the same brain activation in the frontopolar area as 5-year-olds did when engaged in deception, whereas no such effect was found in 3-year-olds who never engaged in deception. These findings underscore the link between preschoolers’ deception and prefrontal cortex function.

Experience with the cochlear implant enhances the neural tracking of spectrotemporal patterns in the Alberti bass

Cochlear implant (CI) users experience diminished music enjoyment due to the technical limitations of the CI. Nonetheless, behavioral studies have reported that rhythmic features are well-transmitted through the CI. Still, the gradual improvement of rhythm perception after the CI switch-on has not yet been determined using neurophysiological measures. To fill this gap, we here reanalyzed the electroencephalographic responses of participants from two previous mismatch negativity studies. These studies included eight recently implanted CI users measured twice, within the first six weeks after CI switch-on and approximately three months later; thirteen experienced CI users with a median experience of 7 years; and fourteen normally hearing (NH) controls. All participants listened to a repetitive four-tone pattern (known in music as Alberti bass) for 35 min. Applying frequency tagging, we aimed to estimate the neural activity synchronized to the periodicities of the Alberti bass. We hypothesized that longer experience with the CI would be reflected in stronger frequency-tagged neural responses approaching the responses of NH controls. We found an increase in the frequency-tagged amplitudes after only 3 months of CI use. This increase in neural synchronization may reflect an early adaptation to the CI stimulation. Moreover, the frequency-tagged amplitudes of experienced CI users were significantly greater than those of recently implanted CI users, but still smaller than those of NH controls. The frequency-tagged neural responses did not just reflect spectrotemporal changes in the stimuli (i.e., intensity or spectral content fluctuating over time), but also showed non-linear transformations that seemed to enhance relevant periodicities of the Alberti bass. Our findings provide neurophysiological evidence indicating a gradual adaptation to the CI, which is noticeable already after three months, resulting in close to NH brain processing of spectrotemporal features of musical rhythms after extended CI use.

Morphology, biology and phylogeny of Xenos gadagkari sp.nov. (Strepsiptera: Xenidae): an endoparasite of Polistes wattii (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

We report the morphology, biology and phylogeny of a new strepsipteran endoparasitic species: Xenos gadagkari, which stylopises the primitively eusocial wasp Polistes wattii from Punjab, India. We report a high abundance of the endoparasite in P. wattii population of our study area and provide the morphological description of adult males, male puparium and neotenic females. This species is sufficiently different from other species of Xenos reported from social wasps and therefore, constitutes a new species, X. gadagkari Sen and Nain, sp. nov. Although there are a few reports of strepsipteran parasitoids from India, this is the first confirmed report with a description of a Xenos species from the Indian population of P. wattii. Our findings contribute to the growing body of knowledge on Xenos and provide a foundation for future behavioural, microbial and molecular studies on this enigmatic group of insects.

Temporal context modulates cross-modality time discrimination: Electrophysiological evidence for supramodal temporal representation

Although the peripheral nervous system lacks a dedicated receptor, the brain processes temporal information through different sensory channels. A critical question is whether temporal information from different sensory modalities at different times forms modality-specific representations or is integrated into a common representation in a supramodal manner. Behavioral studies on temporal memory mixing and the central tendency effect have provided evidence for supramodal temporal representations. We aimed to provide electrophysiological evidence for this proposal by employing a cross-modality time discrimination task combined with electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings. The task maintained a fixed auditory standard duration, whereas the visual comparison duration was randomly selected from the short and long ranges, creating two different audio–visual temporal contexts. The behavioral results showed that the point of subjective equality (PSE) in the short context was significantly lower than that in the long context. The EEG results revealed that the amplitude of the contingent negative variation (CNV) in the short context was significantly higher (more negative) than in the long context in the early stage, while it was lower (more positive) in the later stage. These results suggest that the audiovisual temporal context is integrated with the auditory standard duration to generate a subjective time criterion. Compared with the long context, the subjective time criterion in the short context was shorter, resulting in earlier decision-making and a preceding decrease in CNV. Our study provides electrophysiological evidence that temporal information from different modalities inputted into the brain at different times can form a supramodal temporal representation.

Morphometric Characters and Meristic Counts of Mastacembelus armatus (Lacebede, 1800) from Maruthur Anicut, Tirunelveli District, India

The present study highlights about morphometric measurement and meristic count of Mastacembelus armatus (Lacebede, 1800) collected from the Maruthur wetland ecosystem have been investigated with 23 specimens to observe the relationship between morphometric characters. Identification of species is an initial step in any research work and plays a vital role in the behavioural study. Morphometric character analysis and meristic counts are considered as simplest and authentic methods for fish species identification which is termed as morphological systematics. Fourteen different morphometric characters in percentage of total fish length (9 characters), head length (5 characters), and five different meristic counts (branched and unbranched rays) have been studied. The obtained result reveals that morphometric characters vary depending on the growth and size of the fish. However, the meristic counts were comparatively similar. All the characters show a positive correlation both in the percentage of total length and head length. The different morphometric and meristic counts of M. armatus have been analyzed for the population dynamics which includes taxonomy study and proper identification of fishes. The fin formula was calculated for some hard rays and soft rays. Therefore, this study supplement additional data for the identification of the fish species.